[Lalaith]

You know, everyone keeps talking about these non-Tolkien-fan filmgoers for whose sake all these changes were made. But I have seen the film three times, each time in the company of non-readers, of varying ages and tastes. I've also spoken to many others who have seen the films but not read the books, and I have to say that most people didn't really like the film much and everyone seems to have much preferred the Fellowship movie. And the kind of thing that bugged us Tolkien fans about the film didn't please the non-readers either. Everyone I spoke to *hated* the belching comical Gimli as being crass and embarrassing, thought the Merry/Pippin/Treebeard episode was too slow, couldn't see the point of Osgiliath, and so on. And what everyone really liked was Gollum.<BR>In fact, not much different to what us Tolkien fans thought.<P>I *did* like the film, btw - otherwise I wouldn't have seen it three times. What I loved were the battle scenes, which I could have watched forever.<p>[ February 09, 2003: Message edited by: Lalaith ]